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Happy Dragon
Happy Dragon is a classic Macy's character and appeared as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. History Happy Dragon (1960) Happy Dragon was created in 1960 after an attempt to make a balloon-based off of The Reluctant Dragon failed, replacing Spaceman in the lineup. At 75 feet long, he was at that point the largest balloon to have been made since the return from the war. Happy originally only appeared for a few years in the Parade, retiring in 1963 (although he replaced Popeye at the last minute in 1964). He would eventually return to the lineup for the parade's 40th march, this time staying until 1981. He returned a decade later in 1991 with other balloons that were previously retired, such as Linus the Lionhearted and Raggedy Ann, to celebrate the parade's 65th anniversary. Unlike them, he also appeared again in 1992 and retired again after that year. The original Happy Dragon still exists in the float warehouse as of 2016 and is presumably the oldest existing balloon. However, as of 2016, it is no longer able to hold helium, meaning it will most likely never appear in the Parade again. Rex the Happy Dragon (2012) After an attempt to bring the original dragon back failed (see below), a new Happy Dragon was made in 2012, this time a novelty balloon dubbed "Rex" by Macy's in tribute to balloonatic and paralympic athlete Rex Young. After a 4-year absence, he returned in 2016 and 2017, when he was retired. The character was most recently referenced as one of the five classic balloons shown in the 2018 parade's Verizon live stream. Incidents * In 1960, a leak was discovered in the balloon before the parade, but it was repaired in time. * In 1971, Happy was going to be one of the only three balloons to still be able to fly despite extreme weather, but high winds caused him (alongside Smokey Bear and Astronaut Snoopy) to escape from his netting, tearing his head open in the process. Because of this, all three balloons were taken out of the lineup, and therefore there could not be any balloons at all that year. * In 1978, the original balloon was punctured by a tree in Columbus Circle and couldn't finish the parade. * In 1991, his tail suddenly popped before the parade, but his tail was repaired in time. Music Below, you will find a list of the music that played during the balloon's appearance on the NBC telecast * Generic Macy's Music (1960-1964, 1966-1981, 2012) * Puff the Magic Dragon (instrumental) (1991-1992) Trivia * Macy's wanted to use the original Happy Dragon balloon from Goodyear that debuted in 1960 in the 2010 parade for his 50th Birthday, as well as the 2012 parade, but the city of New York wouldn't let them fly the balloon because of several technical problems, such as the balloon's old age and lack of handling lines. * Strangely, the Happy Dragon is not traditionally associated with other classic Macy's novelty balloons, such as Harold and Freida the Dachshund. The exception seems to be virtual simulators of the parade showing different decades. * Appearing in 23 parades over 32 years, the original Happy Dragon is tied with Bullwinkle for being the parade's most recurring balloon and is the longest-lasting balloon in the parade's history. * Standing at only 20 feet high, the original Happy Dragon is the shortest giant helium balloon in the Parade's history. Gallery Gallery: Happy Dragon Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Novelty Balloons Category:1960 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Comeback Balloon in the Parade Category:Big Balloons Category:1960s Balloons Category:2010s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Retired Balloons Category:Retired Novelty Balloons Category:Goodyear Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Balloons that got removed from the parade Category:Balloons used for Practice Flights